There is quite possibly no other annual event that affects our lives as much as Christmas. In fact, entire economies are based around the holiday. If for some reason the Grinch actually did manage to steal Christmas it would certainly cause massive disruptions in international trade and potentially lead to a domino effect of apocalyptic proportions. Okay, we might be exaggerating a bit, but seriously, we’re willing to bet there are at least a couple things you didn’t know about Christmas.

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Mistletoe

Literally meaning “dung twig”, mistletoe is named after the fact that it tends to spring out of bird droppings on trees after the seeds have passed through the bird’s digestive tract. Not only this but it can also be very parasitic, often requiring a host tree in order to sustain itself. So, next time you kiss your significant other beneath the mistletoe, remember, you’re standing beneath a parasitic poop twig.

Retail Madness

Everyone knows that America has the world’s leading consumer culture but even so, this little piece of Christmas trivia is borderline unbelievable. According to the statisticians, Christmas purchases account for a mind-blowing 1/6 of all annual retail sales in the United States.

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Tannenbaum

Although evergreens have been long held in high regard by many cultures due to their perpetual greenness, it is the 16th-century German Christians that get credit for first bringing decorated trees into their homes. It is a widely held belief that Martin Luther, the 16th-century Protestant reformer, was inspired to first include candles as a decoration when he noticed the stars shining through the evergreens one night.

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Breakup Season

According to Facebook, around two weeks before Christmas is one of the most popular times of the year for couples to break up. Christmas itself, however, is one of the least likely days for a breakup. Evidently it’s a lot easier to open presents than it is to buy them.

About List25

List25 compiles lesser-known intriguing information on a variety of subjects. List25 was started by Syed Balkhi and David Pegg in 2011. The main purpose of this site is to be educational while entertaining at the same time. It's 25 because we don't like top 10 lists.